Milwaukee Record Turns 10: Co-Founder Tyler Maas on Wild Experiments, The Future, and Serving Local.
In this episode of the Experience Milwaukee podcast, hosts Steve and Adam chat with Tyler Maas, one of the guys behind the super popular local website Milwaukee Record. Tyler spills the beans on how Milwaukee Record got started after the local A.V. Club site he used to write for shut down.
As a freelancer with not a lot of options, Tyler and his now business partner Matt Wild decided to just go for it and launch Milwaukee Record back in 2014. Even though they didn't really know how to run a business, the duo built the site from scratch. Matt handled all the techy web stuff while Tyler focused on pumping out a ton of content.
Over time, Milwaukee Record has become known for its unique and hilarious style, which Tyler says is mostly thanks to Matt. The site covers all sorts of local stuff like music, food, events, and more. Tyler himself has become pretty famous for doing some crazy things in the name of journalism, like hitting up every single George Webb spot in the state within 24 hours and eating at every Taco Bell in Milwaukee.
While these wild challenges were a big part of Milwaukee Record's early days and helped put the site on the map, Tyler admits he's learned he doesn't always need to go so hardcore these days. But he did recently drink a "Milwaukee River" - a pint glass with a 1oz pour of 30 different beers - to celebrate the site's 10th anniversary.
Looking forward, Tyler's not quite sure what the long-term future holds for Milwaukee Record. Bringing in some fresh voices and perspectives to cover the city's diversity is one idea. For now, they're just focused on keeping the spotlight on local businesses and events through their website, newsletter, events, and promos.
Tyler says readers can support Milwaukee Record by engaging with their content, spreading the word, coming out to events, snagging some merch, or by advertising if they own a business. After a decade of making Milwaukee Record the go-to spot for locals, it seems like Tyler is mostly ready to hang up his stunt journalism hat and just enjoy the site's well-deserved rep as a Milwaukee staple.
But hey, you never know when the call of the next "Milwaukee River" might come knocking.
You can find this episode on Spotify.
Thanks for listening.
We love you, Milwaukee.